One With the Pack

A few days had passed since the Ranking ceremony, and the Elder Pack were long on their way to another cave. Ember did warn Comet about Onyx before they left, the Head saying that he would take care of it. A heavy snow had fallen the night before, causing the pack to have to stay inside, as the entrance of the cave was blocked up with tightly packed snow. Firefly was a bit concerned about Mark, as he was still out there, probably stuck in one of the other caves around them. She sighed and sat down in the Den, watching the little ones chase after a ball made from leaves and vines. The chamber was dark, so her bright yellow eyes were in full effect, allowing her to see all that was going on in front of her.

When Mist accidentally tripped and fell on his face, she was up in an instant, having him sit down for a second so she could look at him. Once he got the all clear, he bounced to his feet again, running after his brother as the ball rolled past him. Firefly’s ears then perked up, turning her head towards the tunnel that connected all the chambers together. Quetzal and Nicky came in, their own eyes aglow in their respective colors. Limelight ran up to them, looking rather excited. “Miss Quetzal! Miss Nicky! Do you want to join us?”

The Beta smiled kindly at the Delta, but shook her head. “I'm sorry, Limelight. I can't, I was asked to come get the boys.”

The colts came up to her, looking curious and confused. “Maybe Nicky can play with you until they come back.”

The Hunter shrugged. “Sure, I don't mind joining you girls. Besides, I could use some running around, since I can't go outside.”

“Very well. Come with me, boys.”

“Sir? I brought the colts.” Ember turned his head, glancing to each of them before nodding once.

“Thank you, Quetzal. You may go.”

The dragon hybrid turned and left, sensing the boys’ uneasiness. They cautiously walked up to him, since they could tell something was bothering him.

“Sir, what's wrong?” Dust asked quietly

. The Lead just looked on straight ahead, as if he was zoning out. Then he spoke. “Boys… I realized something this morning.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know what you are? I mean what you really are.”

Dust seemed to be confused by his question, so he asked the Alpha to clarify. “What rank are you two?”

“Omegas, Sir.”

“And your gender?”

“Male, but if you want to get technical, we’re hermaphrodites.”

“Exactly my point. Everyone who sees you at first glance thinks you of a different rank. And those who know what you are only want to take advantage of you. I just… I just feel like I made the wrong choice of taking you both in. If there comes a time where I can't protect you… I'd never be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”

“And that is where I disagree.”, a voice sounded behind them.

The colts turned their heads to see Speckle standing there, her eyes red.

“Speckle, didn't I tell you not to get into private conversations that I have with other members?”

She snorted. “Yes, but I'm stepping in for this one. I don't know what's been getting into you lately, but what you said about not taking in these two is wrong. They owe you their life. They would have been either dead or someone’s sex slaves if you didn't make the decision you made. I'm sure they are very grateful for it, aren't you boys?”

Dust nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. We're very grateful for everything this pack has done for us. If we could do something in return for you, we would do it wholeheartedly.”

“See? So I'd suggest you get out of your little funk and start getting yourself together, Ember. Omegas, you are dismissed.”

The colts stood up, walking past her to get back to the Den. The unicorn mare turned back to her mate and raised an eyebrow. “What's up with you? I haven't seen you like this since Sandstorm.”

“Don't bring him up.” The other Alpha grumbled.

“And why not? It's not like he's going to come ba-”

“I said, don't bring him up!” Ember growled as he glared at her, his eyes bright blue.

“Ok,ok. Sheesh. Since when did you get so snappy?”

“Since when did you get such an attitude?”

“Since always, sugarcube. But seriously, what's the matter? You've been on edge a lot more in the past few weeks than I've seen you in the past moon.”

“I don't want to talk about it. It's complicated.”

“That's what they all say.”

“I'm not joking.”

“Right.”

“Speckle…”

“What else do you want me to say, Ember? How do you expect me to take you seriously?”

“I don't know, just do.”

She scoffed, turning around. “Collin and Sirena are having another one of their story sessions in the main chamber, if you want to join us.”, she said before walking off.

The trio were all laying down in the main chamber, talking with each other when Ember appeared. Collin looked up at him and gave him a smirk. “Well, look who showed up, the Old Stallion himself.” Ember snorted as he sat down.

“Don't call me that, Rookie. Unless you want me to start calling you Son again.”

That shut the pegasus up rather quickly. Sirena rolled her eyes, glancing to Speckle. “Say, now that Ember is here, why don't you tell us how this whole thing between you started? You've heard our story, now it's our turn to hear yours.”

The Lead looked at his mate, who looked back at him for a few seconds. “I'm down with that. Speckle, would you like to do the honors?”

“Of course. Now where do I begin?”

The night was cold, and the sky was overcast, the moon occasionally breaking through the clouds to shine its light onto the ground below. Speckle quickly made her way across the terrain, trying to get back to her cave before it got too dark. Just then, she heard a noise. At first she just ignored it, but then the noise got louder. Looking around, her nose twitched as a scent filled it. “Rouges.”, she muttered to herself. “They must have smelled me across the way.” She quickened her pace, but it wasn't quick enough, as three burly looking wolves appeared. One of them locked eyes on her, coming closer. Speckle did the only thing she could do: run.

The wolves ran after her, clearly not intent with letting her get away. Ahead of her, a large tree stood, looking ready to topple over. She ran to it as fast as she could, getting behind it and pushing at it with all her might. It fell, hitting the ground with a thundering crash. One of the wolves got hit by the tree, but the other two simply climbed over it and leaped at Speckle, forcing her to get on the ground. One of them grabbed her by the neck, slamming her back against the rough bark of the tree. She wanted to cry out in pain, but the wolf's grip on her neck made it hard for her to breathe. The other wolf growled, transforming himself.

“Thistle, let go. We want her alive.”

The wolf that had his grip on her released it, causing her to fall to the ground, gasping for air. The wolf transformed, glancing at the gray unicorn. “Sorry, Thorn. I thought you wanted me to be rough.”

“Yeah, but not so much that she needs an oxygen tank. Geez, I shouldn't have brought you guys in the first place. Shadow is probably unconscious at this point from that tree falling on him.” He then looked at Speckle, his demeanor changing almost instantly. “Well, well. What is a pretty little thing like yourself doing out here all alone? You must be wondering why we're here.”

She looked up at him, anger in her eyes. “You're just here to rut me.”, she spat

. The stallion's face didn't change expression, it even seemed that he was happier knowing that she figured it out, something that made her stomach churn in disgust. “I'd be lying if I said no.” He stepped closer, reaching out to take a strand of her mane and twirl it around his hoof. He then sharply tugged it, causing her to yelp. Seeing no other option, she let out a distress call, the wail echoing through the forest before Thorn firmly pulled her to her feet, pressed her back against the tree, and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Listen here, you little troublemaker. If you want to get out of this unscathed, you keep your mouth shut.”, he growled.

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't attempt to make any more noise, as she was forming a plan. Thorn then used his other hoof to slowly run down her side, stopping at her hip, and she bent her knees abruptly, making him lose his balance for a second. When he removed his hoof from her mouth to help regain it, she thrust her head forward, her horn piercing his throat. She pulled it back, watching as the stallion backed up, both front hooves to his neck as he gurgled on his own blood, body twitching as he fell over. Thistle’s eyes were wide as saucers, and looked up at the mare, his friend's blood glistening on her horn. He was deciding whether to run or to fight her, taking the second option.

He didn't get one step closer to her, however, as a large dark brown wolf with red eyes jumped onto his back, taking him to the ground. The stallion yelled and kicked at it, but it was all in vain. The wolf grabbed his head and tilted it up, grabbing the artery in his neck and ripping it out firmly with its sharp teeth. The furred creature got off of the bleeding pony’s back, looking up and down the mare against the tree. It then sniffed the air, carefully taking a step towards her. It transformed, and the pony that was revealed made her heart stop for a brief moment. He was a tall red earth pony stallion, with vibrant red eyes and a orange and yellow mane and tail to compliment them. “Ma’am, are you alright? I heard your call. These arrogants didn't hurt you, did they?”, he asked, his voice as soothing as a nightingale’s song, yet as deep as a lake. Speckle was dumbstruck to say the least, and didn't respond until the stallion called out to her again.

“Huh? Oh, yes, I'm alright. Thank you for your help, Sir.”

“Call me Ember. And I don't think you really needed my assistance.”, he noted, pointing to Thorn, who was lying in a puddle of blood. “You can handle yourself pretty well. That's something I like in a mare.”

She reached down and picked up some snow off the ground, cleaning up her horn before glancing up at him and raising an eyebrow. “So I'm on your hit list?”, she questioned.

Ember gave her a grin. “Well, based on what I saw a few minutes ago, I'd even call it so much as you were presenting to me.”

She blushed and suddenly got really self conscious, crossing her hind legs. The stallion laughed, going over and giving her a playful push. She squeaked and started walking, unsure of whether to trust this stallion or not. He walked alongside her, then tilted his head to the side. “You haven't told me your name, Miss.”

“And why would you want to know? You've probably got a bunch of names in your book, and I don't want to be one of them.”

“Probably because I was so kind as to come and help you. And, to be honest, I don't have any names.”

Speckle stopped, looking at him like he was crazy. “You're joking, right? You're like, gorgeous. How could you have not been with at least 3 other mares with how you look?”

“You flatter me, Miss. I've tried being with others before, but it never worked out.”

She started to feel bad, wanting to apologize for asking, but he beat her to it. “Sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt. You were probably just messing with me.”

She nodded once, turning to start walking once again. She had only taken a few steps when she paused, realizing that Ember wasn't going to leave her be anytime soon. “Don't you have someplace to be?”, she questioned.

“Don't you? It's not safe for someone like yourself to be out here alone, especially at night, as you clearly saw.”

“Gracias, Captain Obvious. I think I know that.”

He snorted. “Then why won't you let me walk with you? You clearly need a big, strong Alpha like me to bring you back to your home safety.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure I do. It'll definitely bring up some questions from my parents.”

“Hey, I won't even come up to the entrance. I'll just stay back and wait for you to go inside.”

“Fine. If it's the only way to get you off my tail.”

“Ooh, we have a sassy one, don't we? I can dig sassy.”

“Just, stop talking for like, two minutes, would you? I'd greatly appreciate it.”

The stallion gave her a look, but didn't say another word until they reached Speckle's cave. “And this is where I leave. Good night, Ma’am.”

He turned around to go, when the mare called out to him. “Hey, Ember?” He glanced back at her, seeing her smile. “It's Speckle. My name, I mean. And thank you, really.” He nodded and smiled back, then transforming into a wolf and disappearing among the trees.

The pegasi had their eyes glued to the unicorn while she was speaking, occasionally shifting their gaze to Ember as he sometimes put in things from his perspective of the encounter. Speckle noticed that his tail was flicking up and down constantly, a sign that something was annoying him, yet when she took a quick glance around, she didn't see anything major that would call for that reaction. Until, that is, she realized that Collin was staring him down rather intently, with a smug look on his face. “Why so happy, Rookie? Do something in me really amuse you?”, Ember asked. The dark blue pegasus simply nodded, sitting up. “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing. Just your face.”

“Ah, I see. Is that how we’re playing it? Well, right back to you, buddy.”

The females both sighed, knowing where this was going. The occasional bragging brawl, as they liked to call it, usually consisted of light hearted insults, witty comments, and of course, bragging to no end. One of said brawls could last from an hour to a day, as that did occur on one occasion. The stallions did tend to get aggressive, but it was nothing too extreme that would call for an intervention. That was going to change, however, with Ember having an extremely short temper during that time and Collin not necessarily knowing when to stop when he was on a roll, it was just like a bear trap, and words were the unlucky ankle to get jabbed with sharp metal teeth.

The pegasus touched a nerve when he made a comment about Ember’s mother, not meaning for it to sound mean or rude, but the Lead had his final thread of calmness broken. He lunged forward, landing a good hit to the side of the other stallion's head. Collin fell over, the sickening sound of his head bouncing off of the hard stone floor would make anyone’s stomach churn. Thankfully, Quetzal was walking by when it happened, so she came in running, eyes zeroed in on the downed Alpha. She quickly checked to see if everything was alright, Collin groaning when she touched the spot of impact. She used the tips of her claws and very gently made small circles in the area, trying to ease the pain. She asked Sirena to go get some ice, then glared at Ember, eyes bright green.

“Why did you do that, Alpha? To your second in command, no less.”

“If you heard what he said, you probably would have done the same thing.” He grumbled.

“Oh, don't be ridiculous, Ember.”, Speckle put in. “It wasn't that bad, we've both heard worse.”

“Well, I don't know what it is, but Speckle, you need to get your Alpha to calm down. I'm just worried he's going to end up hitting someone else, and they'll have more serious injuries.”

“Of course, I was just considering doing that. Ember, our chamber. Now.”

Speckle paced back and forth, her eyes red. She was trying to make sense of all that was going on with her mate in the past few weeks, and ever since they arrived at this place, it felt like his behavior was getting less and less like himself. Then she remembered what he had told her before Collin marked Sirena, and the look he had in his eyes, and her blood ran cold. “By the stars… I-it's starting again, isn't it?” The earth pony didn't say a word, just stared down at the floor. She sighed, sitting down in front of him. “I wouldn't have been so rough with you if I realized it earlier. I'm sorry.” He lifted his head up slowly, catching her eyes with a look that she knew all too well. Her eyes narrowed and she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so my apology isn't going to be enough, huh? I see how it is.”

She leaned forward and stared into his eyes, which flickered to a light blue. She reached up to caress his cheek, him leaning into the touch. Her lips were an inch away from his, and she gave him one last look before letting her eyes shut and closing the gap between them. Ember’s body stiffened as she wrapped her legs around him, feeling her warm, wet nethers rub against his throbbing hard member, a low growl escaping his throat. She paused for a second, not sure whether or not to stop what she was doing. He broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck, assuring her that he was alright and for her to continue.

Her hips moved in slow circles, further arousing the both of them. She soon felt a low throb deep between her loins, and she wanted to be relieved of it. Gently pushing him down to the floor, she positioned herself above him, letting gravity do the work as she lowered herself slowly. A string of moans and low growls left the Lead, his eyes closed in pleasure as she started to move up and down. It didn't take long till he lost it, his lower half tingling after he forcefully shot up into her. Her own climax came shortly afterwards, a shudder coursing through her, liquid dripping down her hind legs and onto the floor below. When she got off of him, she curled up into a ball, body aching. He rested beside her, and, for just a moment, he felt content.

Sirena and Collin were still in the main chamber, the stallion with his head laying across her lap. She gently ran a hoof through his mane, as a means to give him some comfort. He, for one, was rather confused about the whole ordeal that happened, and wasn't sure what to make of it. “Sirena?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“You don't have to call me that, you know.”

“Sorry, force of habit. What is it?”

“Just, what happened earlier? I've never seen Ember snap like that, not even on his bad days.”

“I don't know. I've noticed he's been… off more lately. But I'm sure he didn't mean to hit you.”

He gave her a look. “Um, I'm sorry, but did you see how fast he got up and jumped at me? How did he not mean it?”

She sighed. “Collin, you know what I mean. He probably just reacted out of anger. He was probably mad before, and your comment was the weight that broke the branch. He’ll be back to apologize soon, I'm sure. Either he does it himself or Speckle makes him, it'll come out.”

“I guess so. I'll have to talk with Speckle and see what she says. Thanks for making me feel better, Sirena.” He started to lift his head so he could kiss her cheek, but whined when a sharp pain caused him to lower it again. She smiled and lowered her head, kissing him instead.

“Rest, my love. The day is still passing.” He nodded, sighing and relaxing as he fell asleep.